PART 1Introductory provisions
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Home Office Ships) Order 2020 and comes into force on 7th January 2021.
(2) In this Order—
“the 1995 Act” means the Merchant Shipping Act 1995;
“Home Office ship” means a Government ship(1) which is—
in the service of the Home Office, and
operated or intended to be operated at the direction of an immigration officer or a designated customs official (within the meaning of section 14(6) of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009(2));
“immigration officer” means a person appointed for the purposes of the Immigration Act 1971(3) under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 2 to that Act(4);
“registered details” has the meaning given in article 4;
“registered Home Office ship” means a Home Office ship registered under the regulations made by articles 4 to 8 of this Order.
Section 308(4) of the 1995 Act defines “Government ships” as “ships not forming part of Her Majesty’s Navy which belong to Her Majesty, or are held by any person on behalf of or for the benefit of the Crown (and for that reason cannot be registered under Part II)”.
Paragraph 1 has been amended by paragraph 3 of Schedule 3 to the Health Protection Agency Act 2004 (c. 17) and paragraph 1(a) of Schedule 5 to S.I. 1993/1813.